come on the air. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. president biden's major announcement just a short time ago. the new timeline for vaccinations for every adult here in the u.s. now two months earlier than first promised. president biden now saying enough vaccine for every adult by the end of may. the president invoking the defense production act. drugmaker merck now working with rival johnson & johnson to mass produce that one-shot vaccine. some of j&j's first shots going into arms already today. also what the president just revealed about vaccinating teachers and school workers. tonight, thousands of appointments already added in new york city alone for vaccinations. what you need to know. and with at least ten states easing restrictions and texas governor greg abbott lifting that state's mask mandate next week and opening businesses to

100% capacity, the president tonight and his new warning on this. and dr. jha here answering your questions with all of this unfolding late today. the other news this tuesday night, the horrific scene on an american highway. at least 13 people killed in a devastating collision in california. a semi truck into a packed suv and what authorities have just revealed about this deadly crash. the investigation after the deadly riots at the capitol and tonight, fbi director christopher wray grilled about whether the fbi did enough. what he said today about key intelligence and how soon it was shared. pierre thomas standing by. the investigation involving new york's governor andrew cuomo. tonight, a third accuser now coming forward with allegations. tonight, during a wedding reception, what she claims happened. an independent investigation already under way after two other accusers came forward with their own allegations of misconduct. newly released video tonight. the frightening close call for a sheriff's deputy.

a gunman opening fire, missing her from point blank range. the deadly military crash here in the u.s. what we've learned tonight. news tonight on six the new video message just coming in tonight from dolly parton, getting a dose of her own medicine. news on her vaccination tonight. good evening and it's great to have you with us here on this tuesday night. and we begin tonight with the very encouraging words from president biden late today. the president revealing a new timeline for vaccinations in this country, after first saying there would be enough vaccine for every adult in the u.s. by the end of july. the president is now saying there will be enough by the end of may, two months earlier. and tonight, part of what's speeding up this timeline, president biden announcing an hstoric partnership between two drug companies. merck joining forces to help johnson & johnson produce that one-shot vaccine faster and

earlier than expected. the first johnson & johnson shots were given out just today. of course this is the third vaccine in the u.s. and this is a one-shot vaccine that can be stored with normal refrigeration. these images tonight from ohio state university in columbus. one woman got a call at 10:00 this morning offering her a 2:00 appointment. she called it, quote, a miracle. but this does appear to be moving tonight. 51,708,000 people have now had at least one dose, that's about 20% of all adults. but amid the good news, the warning to remain vigilant. masking and social distancing because of the variants. three recent studies tonight finding that covid patients who had recovered have been reinfected with the brazilian variant, and that variant has been seen in more than a half dozen states now. and the number of states now easing restrictions despite the cdc director and dr. fauci urging caution. texas for one tonight announcing the statewide mask mandate ends next week, allowing businesses to open at 100% capacity. president biden also making news

tonight on vaccinating teachers and reopening schools. and so we have it all covered for you here. we begin with abc's eva pilgrim leading us off tonight right here in new york. >> reporter: tonight, president biden with this encouraging headline, that the u.s. is on track toen oe avma vy.ghou >> this country will have enough vaccine supply, i'll say it again, for every adult in america by the end of may. by themaf oy. that's progress. >> reporter: johnson & johnson had said they would supply the country with 100 million doses by the end of june. but today, the president invoking the defense production act in an historic partnership between the company and pharmaceutical rival merck to ramp up production, enabling j&j to now have its 100 million doses ready by the end of may. the president also announcing that under the federal pharmacy program, pre-k through 12 teachers, staff and childcare workers will be prioritized for vaccinations.

>> our goal is to do everything we can to help every educator receive a shot this month, the month of march. >> reporter: today, those much anticipated johnson & johnson single dose vaccines finally making their way into the arms of americans. >> the name and the one shot and i just felt like this is what i had to do. >> reporter: the vaccine also 85% effective at preventing severe illness and 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths. nearly 4 million doses now headed to vaccination sites across the u.s. the cdc also expected to give the green light this week for fully vaccinated people to have small gatherings in their homes with others who've also been vaccinated. the cdc still asking vaccinated people to wear masks and social distance in public. after weeks of covid cases on average has increased 3.4% from a week ago. despite the uptick, at least 11 states have either recently loosened restrictions or plan to

in the coming week. and in texas -- >> it is now time to open texas 100%. >> reporter: -- the governor ending its statewide mask mandate and allowing all businesses to fully reopen starting next week. our marcus moore is in dallas. >> for a year, businesses across texas have been under strict orders to prevent the spread of covid-19. now with the governor's announcement, some owners tell me they face a real dilemma. >> do we continue to stay open, put our community at risk or do we lose our life savings and, you know, the hundreds of thousands of dollars that we put into this restaurant? >> reporter: this, as three still unpublished studies found the brazilian variant not only more contagious, but in brazil, it appears it may be able to reinfect people who had previously had covid. the variant has so far been found in at least seven states. health experts doubling down that now is not the time to ease restrictions. >> if we do not completely suppress this, we will continue

to be challenged by variants which have a way of coming back to bite us, as they say. >> so, let's get right to eva pilgrim. back with us again tonight. and eva, dr. anthony fauci not alone there in his warning. the cdc director dr. rochelle walensky on the variants, as well, also saying that now is not the time to relax critical safeguards, she said, when we've come this far, when we're this close to significant vaccinations in this country. and president biden echoing that just tonight. >> reporter: yeah, president biden repeating that same sentiment of his top health officials when he was making the announcement about the historic partnership between johnson & johnson and merck, telling the american public, now is not the time to let up, now is not the time to let our guard down. david? >> all right, eva pilgrim leading us off here tonight. eva, thank you. there is a lot to unpack here tonight on the virus. the new cdc guidance soon coming if you've been vaccinated. and of course this news tonight from president biden. so, let's bring in dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown

university school of public health and dr. jha, great to have you. first this news just before we came on tonight. president biden now saying that we're now on track to have vaccine supply for every adult in america by the end of may. that's two months earlier than he was initially promising. i want to give you some credit here, because you told me last week on the air here that given johnson & johnson, pfizer, moderna, that you look at the math and you said that this vethrymeved ne to may wanl d to we're hearing this now from president biden. you think this is still very doable? >> very doable, david, and again, thank you for having me on. i think this is really good news. nice to hear the president confirm it. he obviously has better intelligence than the rest of us. i think most americans who want a vaccine will be able to get one in the month of may. >> the other news tonight, dr. jha, we've seen several states now ease restrictions, but the news from the governor of texas tonight really making headlines, soon lifting the mask mandate statewide, opening all businesses statewide. i know there's a lot of fatigue in this country, i feel it, too. but does this make sense to you,

to open it up and to lift mask mandates completely? >> you know, david, it doesn't. i get the fatigue. i feel like we're sort of rounding third base here heading towards home and we're losing our way a little bit, losing steam. we're so close. you know, we're so close to being able to vaccinate all our high risk people. this is not the time to relax, not with all those variants out there circulating. once we get high risk people vaccinated, i think we can do this more safely. i wouldn't do it right now. >> you think the move is too soon? >> i do. i do. i think it's risky and i think it puts people's lives at risk. >> and while we have you, dr. jha, the cdc is expected to release new guidance as soon as thursday. of course, we'll wait for official word. but early readouts on this, they might say, for vaccinated americans, if your loved ones are now fully vaccinated, too, you might be able to have small gatherings in your home. i'm curious, does that sound right to you? and also, if you're vaccinated, do you still mask up, do you still social distance in public? >> yeah, so, i agree with both of those.

when you are with other people who are vaccinated, then i think it's safe to have small gatherings. vaccinated people can start getting together. in public, because there are a lot of people who still have not been vaccinated yet, masking, social distancing makes sense, until a much broader portion of the population is vaccinated. >> all right, dr. jha, our thanks to you for joining us again here tonight. we'll see you soon. we're going to move on in the meantime to the other news this tuesday night, that horrific and deadly crash in california. not far from the mexico border. an suv filled with 25 people including children colliding with a tractor trailer at a remote intersection. tonight, the staggering loss. at least 13 dead and abc's kaylee hartung from imperial county, california, tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the massive death toll after this horrific accident. that maroon ford expedition, the driver's side completely wrapped around a semi hauling two gravel trailers. officials say a 28-year-old man drove the suv directly into the path of the big rig, its driver, a 69-year-old man. just after 6:00 a.m. local time in southern california. >> we need as many ambulances as

you can handle right now. >> reporter: officials say the driver and 24 passengers, including children, were crammed inside the suv. many without safety restraints. >> it seems unfathomable that that many people could fit inside a vehicle. >> reporter: first responders finding 12 people dead at the scene. several passengers ejected. one person dying after being rushed to the hospital. helicopters airlifting several patients. the driver of the big rig also hospitalized, but able to speak with investigators. the intersection in imperial county, california, just north of8, a mostly agricultural area about ten miles from the u.s./mexico border. d, the big question vianda tonight is why were there so many people inside that suv? officials are investigating that, but they say their top priority is identifying the victims. many of them didn't have i.d. on them. david? >> just a horrific scene tonight. kaylee hartung, thank you. we're going to turn next here to the investigation after the deadly riots at the capitol. fbi director christopher wray testifying on capitol hill

today, saying the fbi views the attack on the capitol as an act of domestic terrorism. the fbi director was grilled about whether the fbi did enough and about key intelligence and how soon it was shared. and his blunt words tonight about who was responsible. here's our chief justice correspondent pierre thomas now. >> reporter: tonight, in his first appearance before congress since the january 6th insurrection, fbi director christopher wray was specific and blunt about who was responsible. >> quite a number of what we would call militia violent extremists. the proud boys or the oath keepers. we've already identified individuals who advocate for what you would call white supremacy. >> reporter: a fact confirmed by the only capitol police officer who has publicly described in detail the horror of that day in a television exclusive with abc news. >> it was a large number of people in that crowd that were racist. >> reporter: officer dunn said that mob fought viciously. >> i'm exhausted, my shirt's drenched in sweat, pepper spray.

i got blood and cuts on my knuckles. >> reporter: and what of the conspiracies claiming it was alefngics posing as trump supporters who attacked the capitol? >> do you have any evidence that the capitol attack was organized by, quote, fake trump protesters? >> we have not seen evidence of that. >> reporter: the fbi director was pressed on why a key piece of intelligence warning that right wing radicals were coming to washington to attack the capitol did not result in more robust security. alarm? >> reporter: wray says the information obtained the day before the insurrection was put in the hands of d.c. offials. >> that information was quickly disseminated and communicated with our partners, including the u.s. capitol police, including metro p.d., in not one, not two, but three different ways. >> reporter: david, the fbi director says domestic terror cases have doubled since he took office, many involving radicals from the far right and white supremacists. david, 2,000 domestic terror ri

now. >> stunning number. pierre, thank you. and we should note, that interview you just showed there, with pierre and that officer, more in a groundbreaking abc news magazine. it debuts tonight, "soul of a nation." a new six-part series putting black life in america front andk life in this country amid this moment of racial reckoning. we hope you'll watch, tonight 10:00 p.m. eastern right here. in the meantime, the news continues here tonight and the investigation into new york governor andrew cuomo. tonight, a third accuser now coming forward. her allegations and the photograph from a wedding reception and what she claims happened. abc's stephanie ramos from albany. >> reporter: tonight, new york's attorney general now investigating claims by a third woman accusing governor andrew cuomo of inappropriate, unwanted advances. anna ruch, who didn't work with the governor, tells "the new york times" she met him at a wedding reception in 2019. according to the paper, ruch says cuo "moput his hand on her

bare lower back. when she removed his hand with her own, the governor remarked that she seemed aggressive and placed his hands on her cheeks. he asked if he could kiss her." ruch provided "the times" with this photo she says was taken that night. today, top new york democrats pressed on whether the governor should resign. >> these women have to be listened to. i've always believed that sexual harassment is not acceptable. it must not be tolerated. the bottom line is, just let me say, on this issue, i have a great deal of faith in the attorney general's investigation. >> reporter: new york's other senator, kristen gillibrand, didn't want to talk about it. she was the first senator to call for al franken to resign when he was accused of sexual misconduct. now, she's called for an investigation, but she has not called for cuomo to step down. >> do you think he should resign in light of the third allegation? >> reporter: but one new york congresswoman says this third allegation, on top of the two women accusing cuomo of sexual harassment, was the last straw.

kathleen rice tweeting, "the time has come. the governor must resign." cuomo is getting a mearesu of support from one new york democrat, the head of the state party, whom he installed.obrele statement, calling it "both premature and unfair for anyone to opine on the outcome until the investigation is completed." governor cuomo himself has been out of sight for a week. when we asked his office for a reaction to the third accuser, we were referred back to his response to the second woman to accuse him of impropriety where he claimed that some of the things he said may have been misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation. david? >> all right, stephanie ramos tonight. stephanie, thank you. we turn now to the u.s. and russia. president biden announcing sanctions on russia for the poisoning of opposition leader alexei navalny. let's get right to our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz live with us tonight. martha? >> reporter: david, the u.s. charge against russia is very specific, saying the russian govement used a chemical weapon against its own citizens, referring, of course, to alexei

navalny, who nearly died after being poisoned by that nerve agent. these u.s. sanctions, the first against russia by president biden, do not target vladimir putin, but further restrict arms sales to moscow and restrict cooperation on space. despite these sanctions, navalny tonight is beginning a 2 1/2-year sentence in one of the harshest, most notorious prisons in russia. david? >> martha raddatz tonight. martha, thank you. back here at home, and a passing to note tonight. vernon jordan, born in the segregated south, he became a civil rights leader, head of the urban league, a prominent lawyer and a force in politics, giving counsel to presidents and generations of young black leaders. vernon jordan died with his wife and daughter at his side. he was 85. when we come back tonight, there is news coming in, the deadly crash involving multiple military vehicles here in the u.s. afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin,... i want that. eliquis.

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if cologuard is right for you. i'm on it. sounds like a plan. finally tonight, dolly parton, always america strong. tonight, dolly parton, you could say, getting a dose of her own medicine. >> well, hey, it's me. i'm finally going get my i'm so excited. i've been waiting awhile. i'm old enough to get it and i'm smart enough to get it. >> it was last year, we reported dolly parton had donated $1 million to covid vaccine research. tonight, sharing this new video, g vainttinmoe e ththat she help. >> i'm very happy that i'm going to get my moderna shot today and i wanted to tell everybody that

you should go out there and do it, too. i even changed one of my songs to fit the occasion. it goes -- ♪ vaccine vaccine ♪ ♪ vaccine vaccine ♪ ♪ i'm begging of you please ♪ ♪ don't hesitate ♪ >> saying she waited her turn. >> i've been waiting since december, i've been in line. here i go. all right. >> getting her first dose. >> think you got it? >> i got it. >> okay. that didn't hurt. just stung a little bit. >> tonight, dolly getting the vaccine, encouraging everyone else to get one, too. can we have dolly on every night? i'll see you right back here tomorrow. always setting the example. good night.

. back into the red tier. two bay area counties move out of the purple tear as we move a little closer to normal. can herd immunity be off? we'll ask our experts what it is and how it might happen. >> and turning into a personal park experience at the presidio. >> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc7 news. >> we're in the red. now i know in the red doesn't sund that great, but it's great compared to where we were. >> mayor london breed was all smiles after announcing the city is moving out of the purple tier. and then there was this from the president. >> this country will have enough vaccine supply, i'll say it again, for every adult in america by the end of may. >> that's big news that is two months earlier than previously expected. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thank you for join us.

we'll begin in the bay area where two more counties have been added to the less restrictive red tier. for the first time since thanksgiving, san francisco and santa clara counties are back in the red tier, joining marin and san mateo, which moved out of purple last week. but as you can see, contra costa, alameda, sonoma, alameda and solano counties remain in the more restrictive purple tier. >> the red tier mean restaurants will be able to reopen for indoor dining at 25% capacity. bars and breweries must remain closed. >> it also allows movie theater, museums, indoor zoos and aquariums to reopen at 25% capacity, keep in mind. retail and indoor malls will also be allowed to increase capacity to 50%. indoor gyms can open at 10% capacity. >> while san francisco has been in the red before, this time there is more optimism that we may finally start seeing some things return to normal. abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez is in the newsroom. and lyanne, i assume a lot of that optimism has to do with the vaccine? >> oh, a lot.

and normal i